Skip to content
DraconiticResearch
Search Sources API
203,948 studies31 sourcesUpdated 47 min ago
Peer-reviewedCC BYApplied Sciences

Manufacturing of Hierarchical (Nano-)Composite Structures: Numerical and Experimental Perspectives

  • Hatim Alotaibi1
  • Constantinos Soutis2
  • Masoud Jabbari3
  1. 1Institute of Earth and Space Science, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Riyadh 12354, Saudi Arabia
  2. 2Department of Materials, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
  3. 3School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
Read full textDOICite

Abstract

Thermoset polymer nanocomposites have considerable potential to improve the functionality and optimise the performance of composite structures. Such a nanocomposite generally consists of a modified polymer matrix (continuous phase) containing nanofillers (discontinuous phase) at the nano scale to tailor the mechanical, physical, and thermal properties of the final product. This review focuses on selected nanofillers, particularly graphene (Gr), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), nanoclays (NCs), and nanocellulose, including cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and cellulose nanofibres (CNFs). The impregnation mechanisms of nanocomposites in fibrous porous media across different length scales, together with their chemo-rheological characteristics, thermal response, and mechanical integrity, are discussed from numerical and experimental perspectives. The modification and functionalisation of nanomaterials, the preparation and processing of polymer-based nanomaterials, and the manufacture of hierarchical composite materials are also reviewed. The findings demonstrate that composite performance depends on the nanofiller type, content, dispersion, and compatibility with the matrix, whereas agglomeration, increased viscosity, filtration, poor impregnation, and non-uniform curing remain major challenges. The review further demonstrates that the scope of available numerical studies remains limited and identifies a need for improved models that connect nano-scale phenomena with the micro-, meso-, and macro-scale behaviour of the manufactured composite, thereby supporting more effective process optimisation.

Related

  1. Water Inside the Carbon Cage—H2O@C60 and Related Fullerene Structures: Synthesis, Experimental Characterization, Computational Insights, and Future Perspectives
    Monika Zielińska-Pisklak, Zuzanna Kuś, Marcin Gackowski +1
    International journal of molecular sciencesPeer-reviewedCC BYFull textOrganic chemistryEurope PMCCrossref
  2. Manufacturing-conditioned hierarchical generation of cathode active-material microstructures with global electrode context
    Mengda Xing, Jean-Marie Lagniez, Alejandro A Franco
    HALPreprintCC BY 4.0Full textPhysical chemistryGeneral physicsHAL
  3. Lightweight hierarchical composite aerogel for ultrawideband microwave absorption
    Mahdieh Dehghani-Dashtabi, Hoda Hekmatara, Masoud Mohebbi
    Scientific ReportsPeer-reviewedCC BY-NC-ND 4.0Full textMaterials & polymersCrossref
  4. Hierarchical sandwich composite film with engineered interfaces for concurrent high-frequency ultra-low dielectric constant and high thermal conductivity
    Kun Peng, Xinyan Yang, Yujie You +5
    Composites Part B EngineeringPeer-reviewedLicence not stated5 citedMaterials & polymersOpenAlex
  5. A Nano-Bismuth–Silicone Polymer Composite as Shielding for X-Rays in Extreme-Environment Applications: Experimental and Simulation Studies
    Seyyed Saeed Vaezzadeh, Mahmudur Rahman, Kalyan Raj Kota +4
    Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland)Peer-reviewedCC BYFull textMaterials & polymersEurope PMC

Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{alotaibi2026manufacturing,
  title = {{Manufacturing of Hierarchical (Nano-)Composite Structures: Numerical and Experimental Perspectives}},
  author = {Hatim Alotaibi and Constantinos Soutis and Masoud Jabbari},
  journal = {Applied Sciences},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.3390/app162010379},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/app162010379},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Manufacturing of Hierarchical (Nano-)Composite Structures: Numerical and Experimental Perspectives
AU  - Hatim Alotaibi
AU  - Constantinos Soutis
AU  - Masoud Jabbari
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/26
JO  - Applied Sciences
DO  - 10.3390/app162010379
UR  - https://doi.org/10.3390/app162010379
AB  - Thermoset polymer nanocomposites have considerable potential to improve the functionality and optimise the performance of composite structures. Such a nanocomposite generally consists of a modified polymer matrix (continuous phase) containing nanofillers (discontinuous phase) at the nano scale to tailor the mechanical, physical, and thermal properties of the final product. This review focuses on selected nanofillers, particularly graphene (Gr), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), nanoclays (NCs), and nanocellulose, including cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and cellulose nanofibres (CNFs). The impregnation mechanisms of nanocomposites in fibrous porous media across different length scales, together with their chemo-rheological characteristics, thermal response, and mechanical integrity, are discussed from numerical and experimental perspectives. The modification and functionalisation of nanomaterials, the preparation and processing of polymer-based nanomaterials, and the manufacture of hierarchical composite materials are also reviewed. The findings demonstrate that composite performance depends on the nanofiller type, content, dispersion, and compatibility with the matrix, whereas agglomeration, increased viscosity, filtration, poor impregnation, and non-uniform curing remain major challenges. The review further demonstrates that the scope of available numerical studies remains limited and identifies a need for improved models that connect nano-scale phenomena with the micro-, meso-, and macro-scale behaviour of the manufactured composite, thereby supporting more effective process optimisation.
SN  - 2076-3417
ER  -